Syrian army defeats IS in Homs countryside

Damascus, Oct 7 (IANS) The Syrian army and allied fighters have dislodged Islamic State (IS) terrorist group from the eastern countryside of Homs province in central Syria.

The army finished its operations in Homs, capturing 1,800 square km from IS, Xinhua cited state news agency SANA as saying on Friday.

The achievement came after the army fully defeated IS in the eastern countryside of Hama province in central Syria on Wednesday.

The Syrian army previously managed to besiege IS terrorists in an enclave between the eastern countrysides of Homs and Hama.

On Tuesday, the Syrian forces sliced through the enclave and separated IS-held areas in the eastern countryside of Hama from those in the eastern countryside of Homs.

The defeat of IS in Hama and Homs adds to their losses in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, a main IS stronghold, where the terror-designated group is losing control, as well as in the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS.

Activists said the Syrian army is besieging IS-held areas in the capital city of Deir al-Zour, and controls 75 per cent of it, while the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces controls 90 per cent of Raqqa.